JP2007180959A - Peripheral device, retrieval result storing method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a peripheral device capable of processing as many as the optional number of retrieval results transmitted from a directory server even when a mounted memory is small. <P>SOLUTION: The peripheral device is provided with a receiving means for receiving information transmitted from an external device, and a storing means for storing the prescribed number of pieces of information of retrieval results transmitted from the external device. In addition, the device is provided with a storage starting number determining means for determining from what number the information of the retrieval results is stored, and a storage control means for storing the information of the retrieval results received by the receiving means from the number determined by the storage starting number determining means in the storing means. Consequently, even when a memory (storing means) is small, storage can be made only in a required region and the memory can be effectively used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a peripheral device, a search result storage method, and a computer program.

JP 2004-274486 A

  Conventionally, as shown in, for example, Patent Document 1, personal information is acquired from a directory server, and data transmission is performed such that FAX transmission or mail transmission is performed using transmission destination information (FAX number, mail address, etc.) included therein. An apparatus (MFP) is known.

  When the user of the data transmission device uses the transmission destination information, a predetermined search condition is input to the data transmission device and the directory server is made to search. Then, a search result is obtained from the directory server, and transmission destination information is extracted from the search result and used for data transmission.

  A protocol called LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is used for communication between the directory server and the data transmission apparatus. LDAP is a protocol that defines standard exchange of directory services on the network, and the current mainstream is LDAPv3 (version 3). In this LDAPv3, a method for designating from which information is returned when there are a plurality of pieces of search result information such as obtaining only the fifth result of the ten search results (method for designating partial acquisition) Support is not stipulated for all supported devices, and if the search result information is specified by the method of specifying partial acquisition, it is specified what number of information will be returned from The support of the method of returning from the designated information of the search result when there is a plurality of information of the search result is not stipulated to be essential in all the corresponding servers.

  When using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for specifying partial retrieval of search results, such as LDAP, is required for all compatible devices, retrieve all search results at once. However, since all search results cannot be stored in a device with a small amount of memory, for example, if only the first 10 items are acquired, the necessary information can be stored in the memory after that. There is a problem that data transmission or the like cannot be performed using the information.

  The present invention has been made in the background as described above, and in particular, provides a peripheral device capable of processing an arbitrary number of search results transmitted from a directory server even when the installed memory is small. The task is to do.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

The invention described in claim 1
Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, A search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
Storage means for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
Storage start number determining means for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
Storage control means for storing information on search results received by the receiving means in the storage means from the order determined by the storage start number determining means;
It is a peripheral device characterized by comprising.

  According to the above-described invention, the peripheral device is connected to an external device (for example, a directory server) via a network or the like, and a protocol that cannot specify the return range of the search result, such as LDAP, is used for data transmission / reception. Information to be searched is stored in the external device, and the user inputs search conditions from the peripheral device and causes the external device to search for the information. If there is information (search result) that matches the search condition, the external device returns it sequentially. However, since the storage means of the peripheral device has a small capacity, it cannot store all search results. Further, in the above protocol, it is not possible to specify a range of search results to be transmitted (an instruction to transmit only the search results from what number to what number). In view of this, the present invention provides a storage start-th determining unit that determines from what order the search result information is stored, and a storage that stores the received search result information in the storage unit from the order determined by the storage start-th determining unit. Control means were provided. For example, the first several of the search results that are sent are skipped and are stored from the middle as much as the storage means can store them. This makes it possible to process an arbitrary number of search results even if the storage capacity of the storage means is small.

The invention according to claim 2
Input means for receiving input;
Request number judging means for judging whether or not the input is an input for requesting information of the second search result not stored in the storage means,
The storage start number determining means is requested at least for the search result information when it is determined that the input is an input requesting the information of the search result of the number not stored in the storage means. It is a peripheral device that decides to store from the requested number to the number within the predetermined number from the requested number.

  According to the above invention, when an operation for requesting a search result in a range not stored in the storage unit is performed, an instruction to send the search result again is issued to the external device. Then, the search results in the requested range are stored again. That is, it is redesignated from what number to store, and a predetermined number of search results subsequent to the designated number are stored. The storage means is composed of a rewritable memory and can overwrite the search result. Therefore, even when the storage capacity of the storage unit is small, it is possible to store an arbitrary part of the transmitted search results.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3
Peripheral provided with notification means for notifying that there are more search results than the number stored in the storage means when the storage means cannot store all the search results transmitted from the external device Device.

  According to the above invention, the user can know that there are more search results than the number stored in the storage means.

The invention according to claim 4
The protocol is a protocol in which a method for specifying the number of transmissions of the search results is defined,
The search condition transmission unit is a peripheral device that instructs the external device to transmit the number of search results until the storage unit completes the storage.

  In this way, only the search results stored in the storage means need be transmitted from the external device, and the transmission time can be shortened. It is also possible to eliminate network congestion.

The invention described in claim 5
A peripheral device comprising communication end control means for ending communication with the external device when the predetermined number of search results have been received.

  In this way, the time for transmitting the search result can be shortened as in the invention described in claim 4. In addition, network congestion can be eliminated.

The invention according to claim 6
Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, A search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
Storage means for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determining means for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
Display means for displaying the search results;
Storage means for storing the search results received by the receiving means from the number determined by the storage start-number determining means for at least the number of cases that can be displayed by the display means;
And the display means displays the search result stored in the storage means.

  The above invention further includes display means for displaying the search result. The user can understand the content of the transmitted search result by looking at the display means.

The invention described in claim 7
Input means for receiving input;
Request number judging means for judging whether the input is an input for requesting information of the search result of the number not displayed on the display means,
The storage start-number determining means is requested at least for the search result information when it is determined that the input is an input requesting information on the search result that is not displayed on the display means. It is a peripheral device that decides to store from the requested number to the number within the predetermined number from the requested number.

  According to the above invention, when an operation for displaying a search result that is not displayed on the display unit is performed and the search result is not stored in the storage unit, the search result is transmitted to the external device again, and the requested range is searched. Remember the results again. That is, it is redesignated from which number to start storing, and a predetermined number of search results subsequent to the designated number are stored. The stored search result is displayed on the display means. The storage means is composed of a rewritable memory and can overwrite the search result. Therefore, even when the storage capacity of the storage unit is small, it is possible to store and display an arbitrary part of the transmitted search results.

Further, the invention according to claim 8 is
In a peripheral device comprising an informing means for causing the display means to display that there are more search results than the number of displayed items when the display means cannot display all the search results transmitted from the external device. is there.

  According to the above invention, the user can easily recognize that there are more search results than the number of displayed items by viewing the display means.

The invention according to claim 9 is:
The protocol is a protocol in which a method for specifying the number of transmissions of the search results is defined,
The storage means is configured with a capacity capable of storing at least one search result greater than the number of search results that can be displayed on the display means,
The search condition transmission unit is a peripheral device that designates the number of transmissions to the external device so as to transmit a search result that is one more than the number of search results that can be displayed on the display unit.

  In this way, since the number of search results transmitted from the external device can be limited, the transmission time can be shortened. In addition, network congestion can be eliminated. Further, another search result that follows the search result that is being displayed using the case where the search result that is one more than the number that can be displayed on the display means is stored in the storage means and the case that it is not stored It can be determined whether or not exists. A specific determination method will be described in detail later.

The invention according to claim 10
A peripheral device comprising communication end control means for ending communication with the external device when the predetermined number of search results have been received.

  According to the above invention, the transmission time can be shortened as in the ninth aspect of the invention. In addition, network congestion can be eliminated.

The invention according to claim 11
When an operation for displaying the search results in a range not displayed on the display means is performed, if the search results for the range are stored in the storage means, the stored search results are stored in the storage means. A peripheral device for displaying on the display means.

  According to the above invention, a larger number of search results than can be displayed on the display means can be stored in the storage means in advance, and the stored search results can be displayed. In this way, it is not necessary to access the external device over and over, and the speed at which the search result is displayed on the display means can be increased.

The invention of claim 12 is a more specific embodiment of the invention of claims 1 to 11.
The information is entry information including a data transmission destination number and a transmission partner name, and a peripheral device having a data transmission function for transmitting the data to the transmission partner based on the entry information transmitted from the external device. is there.

The invention of claim 13
Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, Search condition sending procedure for sending search conditions,
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A storage control procedure for storing information on search results received by the receiving unit in the storage unit from the order determined by the storage start number determining unit;
This is a search result storage method characterized by executing.

The invention of claim 14
By running on the computer,
A protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned when there are multiple search result information to an external device through a transmission unit is not required for all supported devices Search condition transmission procedure for transmitting search conditions using
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device through a receiving unit;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device in a storage unit;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A storage control procedure for storing information on search results received by the receiving unit in the storage unit from the order determined by the storage start number determining unit;
Is a computer program that causes the computer to function.

The invention of claim 15
Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, Search condition sending procedure for sending search conditions,
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A display procedure for displaying the search results;
A storage procedure for storing the search result received by the receiving unit from the number determined by the storage start-number determining unit, as many as the number that can be displayed by the display unit,
Is executed, and the stored search result is displayed in the display procedure.

The invention of claim 16
By running on the computer,
A protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned when there are multiple search result information to an external device through a transmission unit is not required for all supported devices Search condition transmission procedure for transmitting search conditions using
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A display procedure for displaying the search results;
A storage procedure for storing the search results received by the reception unit from the number determined by the storage start number determination unit, as many as the number that can be displayed by the display unit,
And displaying the stored search results to cause the computer to function in the display procedure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The peripheral device according to the present invention is configured as a multi-function peripheral that integrates functions such as a FAX function, a mail transmission function, a printing function, a scanner function, and a copy function. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using the data transmission system 1 including the peripheral device 10, the directory server 30 (an example of the external device of the present invention), and the wired communication network 100. Note that the peripheral device 10 may be a device that has only the FAX function alone or a device that has only the mail transmission function, and functions that are not shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with the FAX function or the mail transmission function. Of course, even a device with

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a data transmission system. In this data transmission system 1, a peripheral device 10 is connected to a directory server 30 (a server of the present invention, for example, an LDAP server is used) via a wired communication network 100. For the wired communication network 100, a serial communication cable, a parallel communication cable, a wired LAN cable, or the like is used. The wired communication network 100 may be a wireless communication network.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a block diagram of the peripheral device 10. The peripheral device 10 includes a CPU 11, a RAM 12 having a work memory 12 a (storage means of the present invention), a ROM 13 storing various programs, a bus line 14, an input / output unit (shown as “I / O” in the drawing) 15, a storage A communication interface (in the figure, “I / F”) is connected to the device 16 (for example, composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a hard disk), and is connected to the communication network 100 to transmit / receive data to / from the directory server 30. Display) 24 and a reception buffer memory (hereinafter also referred to as a reception buffer) 17 for temporarily storing the received print control data. The input / output unit 15 includes a touch panel, an input device 18 including a push button switch or a numeric keypad, a display device 19 (display means of the present invention) including an LCD, a well-known inkjet printing mechanism, laser printing mechanism, thermal transfer A printing unit 20 including a printing mechanism or a dot impact type printing mechanism is connected. The communication interface 24 is a wired communication interface and is connected to the wired communication network 100. The ROM 13 also includes a search condition transmission program 13a, a storage start determination program 13b, a notification program 13c, a communication end control program 13d, a control program 13e, a communication program 13f, a reception program 13g, a storage control program 13h, and a request determination program. Various programs such as 13i are stored. These programs are loaded into the CPU 11 and executed, so that each of them functions as a single program in conjunction with each other. Each program need not be stored independently, and the peripheral device 10 may have a composite program having the contents of a plurality of programs, or a divided program obtained by further dividing the illustrated program. It is good. Further, the peripheral device 10 may include a sub CPU in addition to the CPU 11, and a program may be loaded on each of the CPU 11 and the sub CPU and function as one program in conjunction with each other.

  The storage device 16 has a network setting such as the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway address of the peripheral device 10 as well as the IP address or host name of the LDAP server (directory server) 30 and which entry of the LDAP server 30. -Search base information that specifies whether to search as an entry, or whether to search the base entry itself, whether to search directly under the base entry, or all entries below the base entry Search filter information that specifies which search target information is to be searched according to the search condition among the search scope information and attributes held by the entry, and returns the value of which attribute among the attributes held by the entry as the search result Specify whether to ask for Such as attribute information is stored. Of course, these values can be changed by the user through the input device of the peripheral device 10 or through a device capable of communicating with the peripheral device 10. These pieces of information are transmitted to the LDAP server 30 in a format corresponding to LDAP, and the LDAP server 30 performs processing of reception / search / reply.

Note that the search base information in this embodiment is “dc = company, dc = co, dc = jp”, and under the entry dc = co under dc = jp in the directory tree having the entry dc = jp as a vertex. Specifies that the entry dc = company is the base entry.
The search scope information is “SUBTREE”, and specifies that all entries below the base entry are searched.

The search filter information is “(cn = *)”, and the LDAP server 30 is transmitted by adding a character string key-input by the user, which will be described later, before the “*” portion. For example, if “NIC” is keyed in, “NIC” is added to the search filter information to become “(cn = NIC *)”, and an entry having a character string starting with “NIC” as the attribute value of cn is searched. This is information that specifies that to do.

  The acquired attribute information is “mail, facsimileTelephoneNumber, sn, title, ou, description”. The mail value attribute of the entry has a mail value, a fax number attribute factimTelephoneNumber value, and a surname attribute. It indicates that a response of the value of sn, the value of title that is the title attribute, the value of ou that is the attribute of the department, and the value of description that is the attribute of the description is requested. Of course, “facsimileTelephoneNumber, mail” may be used as search result attribute designation information so that only a reply of a FAX number and a mail address is obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the data transmission apparatus is configured as a so-called multifunction device, and a printing unit 20, a scanner unit 21 used for copying and image capture, and a FAX unit 22 are connected to the input / output unit 15 as control targets. The operations of the printing unit 20, the scanner unit 21, and the FAX unit 22 are well known, and the CPU 11 loads the control program 13e stored in the ROM 13 into the work memory 12a of the RAM 12 and executes the control program 13e. .

  In addition, the peripheral device 10 has a mail transmission / reception function for transmitting / receiving an electronic mail. A program for realizing this mail transmission / reception function is well known, and the operation is controlled by the CPU 11 loading the communication program 13f stored in the ROM 13 into the work memory 12a of the RAM 12 and executing it.

  The search condition transmission program 13a stored in the ROM 13 is a program for transmitting the search condition to the directory server 30 based on a user operation as described above. The storage start number determination program 13b is a program for determining from what number the search results (entry information 34c) transmitted from the directory server 30 are stored. The notification program 13c is a program for notifying all of the search results transmitted from the directory server when it cannot be stored. The communication end control program 13d is a program for instructing the directory server to end transmission when the storage unit 12 completes storage. The control program 13e is a program for controlling the scanner unit 21 and the FAX unit 22 as described above, and the communication program 13f is a program for sending and receiving e-mails. Further, the reception program 13g is a program for receiving a search result transmitted from the directory server 30. The storage control program 13h is a program for storing the received search result in the storage means from the position determined by the storage start program 13b. The request number determination program 13i is a program for determining whether or not the input is an input for requesting information of a second search result not stored in the storage means. The CPU loads and executes the search condition transmission program 13a, the storage start determination program 13b, the notification program 13c, the communication end control program 13d, the reception program 13g, the storage control program 13h, and the request determination program 13i. Each example of the search condition transmission unit, the storage start number determination unit, the notification unit, the communication end control unit, the reception unit, the storage control unit, and the request number determination unit is realized.

  Next, the input device 18 and the display device 19 in the peripheral device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an example is given in which the display means 19 is configured to display a maximum of three search results (names), and the storage means 12 is configured to store a maximum of four search results. . The peripheral device 10 is integrally formed with an input device 18 and a display device 19, and includes numeric keys, alphabet keys (also used as numeric keys: not shown), symbol input keys (used also as numeric keys: not shown), and selection keys. (Right triangle key, left triangle key, upper triangle key, lower triangle key), send key, search key, and the like are arranged. Then, when the user depresses these keys, a series of operations shown in FIGS. 3A to 3F are performed. FIG. 3A shows a display state immediately after the peripheral device 10 enters the FAX mode. The peripheral device 10 enters the FAX mode when it detects that the document is set on the scanner unit 21 or when the user inputs a key to enter the FAX mode. FIG. 3B shows a display state when the peripheral device 10 instructs the directory server to instruct address book search and stands by. When the peripheral device 10 detects that the search key is input by the user in the display state of FIG. 3A, the peripheral device 10 sets the search conditions previously input by the user in the processing described later to the directory server 30. Sending is instructed by sending. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the peripheral device 10 displays a list of search results after receiving address book search result information from the directory server 30. The peripheral device 10 receives search result information from the directory server 30 in a process to be described later, stores it in the RAM 12, and displays a list on the display device 19. FIG. 3D shows a display state when the peripheral device 10 selects and determines certain information as FAX transmission destination information from the list-displayed information. The peripheral device 10 selects and determines information as FAX transmission destination information in accordance with a key input such as a selection key by the user. FIG. 3E shows a display state when the peripheral device 10 is reading a document on the scanner unit 21. When the peripheral device 10 detects that the user has input the transmission key, the peripheral device 10 starts reading the document. FIG. 3F shows a display state when the peripheral device 10 transmits FAX transmission data generated by reading a document to a transmission destination that has been selected and determined in advance. When the reading of the document and the generation of the FAX transmission data are completed, the peripheral device 10 performs FAX transmission of the FAX transmission data.

Here, an example of FAX transmission is given, but it goes without saying that it may be applied to e-mail transmission. When applied to e-mail transmission, the peripheral device 10 enters e-mail mode instead of FAX mode when it detects a document set or key input, and FIGS. 3 (A) to 3 (F) respectively show directory servers. The address book is searched from 30, and the display state until the e-mail transmission is performed using the information of the search result as the information of the e-mail transmission destination is shown. Of course, it can be applied to other transmission methods.

  Next, the directory server 30 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The directory server 30 includes a CPU 31, a RAM 32 having a work memory 32 a, a ROM 33 that stores various programs, a hard disk drive (HDD) 34 that is a storage device, a bus line 35, an input / output unit (“I / O” in the drawing). 36, a server computer that is connected to the CD-ROM drive 39 and the wired communication network 100 and includes a communication interface 40 for transmission and reception for transmitting and receiving print control data and the like. If it has sufficient performance and reliability, a personal computer (or workstation) can be used instead of the server computer. The HDD 34 and the CD-ROM drive 39 are connected to the bus line 35 via interfaces 41 and 42. The HDD 34 stores an OS 34a that is the base software of the directory server 30, an LDAP program 34b that realizes a function as an LDAP server, entry information 34c, a search program 34d, and the like. An input device 37 such as a keyboard or a mouse, and a display device 38 such as an LCD or CRT are connected to the input / output unit 36.

  FIG. 8 shows a specific example of the entry information 34c. Thus, the entry information 34c includes the name of the transmission destination and detailed information (FAX number, e-mail address, company name, title, department name, explanation information, etc.), and these are associated as one data. It is configured. The user retrieves the entry information 34c from the peripheral device 10 and uses it for FAX transmission or mail transmission. That is, when the user inputs a search condition from the input device 18 of the peripheral device 10 and presses the search key, the search condition transmission program 13a (FIG. 2) is executed and a search instruction is given to the directory server 30. Thereafter, the directory server 30 executes a search by the search program 34d (FIG. 4), and returns entry information 34c that matches the search condition to the peripheral device 10 as a search result. The peripheral device 10 extracts the FAX number and e-mail address from the returned search results and uses them for data transmission.

  Next, the display example of FIG. 5 and the flowchart of FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart activated when the peripheral device 10 enters the search mode. The peripheral device 10 enters the search mode when it is detected in the display state of FIG. Of course, the peripheral device 10 includes a search mode key, and enters the search mode when the user presses the search mode key. The selection unit of the search mode or the mode for directly inputting the transmission destination information is displayed on the display device 19 before and after the display of FIG. 3A. If the search mode is selected by the user input, the search mode is entered. , And so on. In this flowchart, first, N = 0 is set in step S1. This variable N is a number for designating the storage start position of the search condition. After the processing of S1, the process proceeds to S2, and the user is made to input search conditions. As shown in FIG. 5, the user inputs “NIC” as a search condition by, for example, alphabet input, and presses the search key. In S3, the peripheral device 10 is connected to the LDAP server (directory server) 30, and N + 4 search results are requested. At this time, the display state is shown in FIG. Initially, since N = 0 is set in S1, a total of four search results are requested. This request is made by the search condition transmission program 13a described above. In response to this request, the directory server 30 searches the entry information 34c for a search condition that matches the search conditions, and sequentially returns the search results.

  In S4, a search result transmitted from the directory server 30 is received, and a process of skipping the first N items is performed. The remaining search results are stored in the storage means 12 (S5). Since N = 0 is set here, the transmitted search result is stored from the beginning without skipping. Thereafter, the stored search result is displayed on the display device 19 (FIG. 5B). Among the displayed search results, the selected search result is displayed in black and white reversed. The user can scroll by pressing the lower triangle key or the upper triangle key.

  If there is a search result that is not displayed, the upper triangle mark 43 or the lower triangle mark 44 is displayed to notify the user. This processing is performed by the notification program 13c. Specifically, these marks are displayed by processing steps S7 to S10 in FIG. In S7, it is determined whether or not the number of search results stored in the storage unit 12 is four. That is, if there is a fourth search result that is not displayed on the display means 19, it is determined as Y and S 8 is executed, and the lower triangle mark 44 is displayed on the display means 19. In S7, if there is no fourth search result, it is determined as N and S8 is skipped. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S9 to determine whether N ≠ 0. If it is determined to be Y, the process moves to S10, and the upper triangle mark 43 is displayed on the display means 19. That is, when another search result exists before the search result being displayed, the upper triangle mark 43 is displayed. Further, if it is determined as N in S9, S10 is skipped and the process proceeds to (1) in FIG.

  Next, FIG. 7 will be described. In S11 and S12, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the user operates the upper triangle key or the lower triangle key to scroll the names selected on the screen line by line. When the lower triangle key is operated, it is determined as Y in S11, and the process moves to S15. In S15, it is determined whether or not it is instructed to display a name lower than the last displayed name (for example, “Nichol Miller” in FIG. 5B). Here, in the case of Y, the process moves to S16, and then returns to (2) in FIG. Since 1 is added to N in S16, N + 4 = 5 in S3 (FIG. 6), and a total of five search results are requested to the directory server 30. Then, the process proceeds to S4, where the first N cases (that is, one case) among the five cases transmitted from the directory server 30 are skipped, and the second to fifth cases are stored in the storage means 12 (S5). As described above, in S4 and S5, the search condition (N + 1th search condition) for starting storage is designated, and the search condition transmitted following the designated search condition is stored. This process is performed by the storage start determination program 13b and the storage control program 13h.

  In S6, the search condition stored in the storage means 12 is displayed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5C, the second to fourth search conditions are displayed. The fifth case is stored in the storage means 12 but is not displayed. S7 to S10 are processed in the same manner as described above, and then return to (1) in FIG. If the lower triangle key is pressed while the last displayed name “Nichol Walker” is selected in the display of FIG. 5C, Y is determined in step S15, and the process of S16 is performed. Return to 6 (2). In S16, since N = N + 1 is performed, N = 2.

  If N is determined in S15, the process proceeds to S12. In S12, it is determined whether or not the upper triangle key is pressed. If Y, the process moves to S17. For example, if the upper triangle key is pressed while the name “Nichol Miller” displayed at the top in the display of FIG. 5D is selected, it is determined as Y in S17, and the process proceeds to S18. Return to (2). Since the process of N = N−1 is performed in S18, the number of search results requested from the directory server 30 in S3 is reduced by one. That is, it is stored and displayed from the previous search result. Note that the processing of S15 and S17 is performed by the request number determination program 13i.

  Further, when the right triangle key is pressed in FIG. 5D, the process proceeds from S13 to S19 in FIG. 7, and the FAX number and the mail address, which are detailed information of the currently selected name (here “Nichol Walker”), are displayed. An example of the display is shown in FIG. If OK is selected in this state, it is determined as Y in S20, and the process proceeds to S23. Here, the selected item (FAX number or E-mail address in FIG. 5E) is selected as the transmission destination. Thereafter, the FAX or e-mail is transmitted to the selected FAX number or e-mail address.

  On the other hand, when it is determined as N in S20 of FIG. 7 (when OK is not selected), the process proceeds to S21, and it is determined whether or not the upper triangle key is selected. If N, the process returns to S20. If Y, the detail screen (FIG. 5E) is closed and the process returns to FIG. 5D. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S14 and it is determined whether or not to select OK. In the case of Y, the process proceeds to S23, and FAX transmission or E-mail transmission is performed to the selected transmission partner. In the case of N, the process returns to S11. Even in the case of N in S13 (when the right triangle key is not selected), by selecting OK, the process proceeds from S14 to S23, and the selected item is selected as the transmission destination, and the FAX transmission or e-mail is selected. Transmission is to be made.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the value of the variable N is changed in S16 or S18, and the search condition is requested only for N + 4 items in S3. Therefore, it is not necessary to transmit extra search conditions. Therefore, the transmission time can be shortened and the congestion of the network 100 can be eliminated. Furthermore, since the first N search conditions are skipped in S4 (that is, the N + 1 items are designated and stored from there), only the necessary part can be stored even if the storage capacity of the storage means 12 is small. .

  In the above-described embodiment, three search results (names) are displayed on the display unit 19, but may be four or five. Further, the number of cases to be stored is set to four, which is one more than the number of cases to be displayed (three), and it is determined whether or not four cases are stored in step S7 of FIG. (Displays the lower triangle mark 44). However, it is not always necessary to store the fourth case. For example, only whether or not there is a search result transmitted from the directory server 30 that has not been stored is stored in a predetermined address of the storage unit 12. It may be determined whether or not to execute S8 using this information.

  Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the display unit 19 is configured to display three search results, and the storage unit 12 can store a larger number (10) of search results than can be displayed on the display unit 19. It is configured. Here, the storage means 12 stores the first to tenth search results transmitted from the directory server 30, and the display means 19 displays the first to third cases. When the user presses the lower triangle key (FIG. 5), the later search result stored in the storage means 12 is displayed. As described above, when a certain number of cases are stored in the storage unit 12 and a part of them is used for display, the display speed can be increased. Further, since the number of times that the directory server 30 transmits the search condition is reduced, the congestion of the network 100 (FIG. 1) can also be eliminated.

  When the lower triangle key is pressed several times, it becomes necessary to display a search result in a range not stored in the storage unit 12. In that case, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the first part of the transmitted search results is skipped and the subsequent part is stored again. Then, the stored search result is displayed on the display device 19. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the fourth to thirteenth search results are stored and the seventh to ninth are displayed.

  A flow chart for performing such an operation is shown in FIG. First, in S24 and S25, N = 0 is set, and the user is made to input a search condition. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26, where M = N−3 is set. The variable M is a number that specifies the storage start position of the search result transmitted from the directory server 30. The variable N is a number for designating the display start position of the search result. As shown in FIG. 10, when displaying using the re-stored search results, the display start position N + 1 (seventh case) comes after the storage start position M + 1 (fourth case). Yes. For this reason, M = N−3 is set in S26. With this setting, even if the user operates either the upper triangle key or the lower triangle key after the display, the search result stored in the storage unit 12 can be used for display, and the display speed is increased. .

  However, since N = 0 is set in S24 in the initial stage of the flowchart, the relationship between the search result, the storage means 12, and the display device 19 is as shown in FIG. That is, M = 0 and never becomes a negative value. In order to eliminate this contradiction, it is determined whether or not M <0 in S27 of FIG. 11. If M <0, the process proceeds to S28 and M = 0 is set. Then, the process of S29-S31 is performed. That is, in S29, the directory server 30 is connected, and M + 10 (here, 10) search results are requested. And it moves to S30 and skips the search result of the first M items (here, 0 items). Thereafter, the remaining search results are stored in the storage means 12 in S31.

  Next, the process proceeds to S32, the stored search result is displayed, and the process of S33 is performed. In S33, it is determined whether or not the number of cases stored in the storage unit 12 ≧ N−M + 4. That is, it is determined whether the search result subsequent to the search result being displayed is stored in the storage means. If it is determined as Y here, the lower triangle mark 44 is displayed. In S35, it is determined whether N ≠ 0. That is, it is determined whether another search result exists before the search result being displayed. If it is determined as Y here, the process proceeds to S36, and the upper triangle mark 43 is displayed. Thus, by displaying the upper triangle mark 43 or the lower triangle mark 44, the user is notified that there is a search result other than the displayed one. This process is performed by the notification program 13c stored in the ROM 13 (FIG. 2).

  After executing S36, the process proceeds to (1) in FIG. When the user presses the lower triangle key, Y is determined in S11, and the process proceeds to S15. If an instruction below the last displayed name is given, it is determined as Y in S15, the process proceeds to S16, and then the process returns to (2) in FIG. In S16, N = N + 1, and in S37 (FIG. 11), it is determined whether N <M or N + 4> M + 10 is satisfied. That is, in S37, it is determined whether or not to display a search result within the range stored in the storage unit 12. If N is determined here (when the data in the storage range is displayed), the process proceeds to S32 and the search result is displayed. Further, when it is determined as Y in S37 (when displaying an object outside the storage range), S26 to S31 are processed. For example, when N = 6 in S16, it is determined as Y in S37. In S26, M = N−3 = 3, and in S29, M + 10 = 13 search results are requested. Thereafter, in S30, a process of skipping the first M items (3 items) is performed, and the remaining search results (10 items) are stored in the storage unit 12. As a result, it becomes as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the display start position N + 1 comes after three cases after the storage start position M + 1 (S26 and FIG. 10). Therefore, even if the user presses either the upper triangle key or the lower triangle key, the search result stored in the storage unit 12 can be used for display, and as a result, the display speed can be increased. Become.

  Further, a variable M is designated in S26 of FIG. 11, and a search result of a predetermined number (10 in this embodiment) following the variable M is stored in the storage means 12 in S31. Such a process is performed by the storage start determination program 13b and the storage control program 13h (FIG. 2).

  Next, the embodiment of FIG. 12 will be described. In this embodiment, S1 to S5 and S6 to S10 are the same as those in FIG. Further, the process proceeds to (1) in FIG. 7 after it is determined as N in S9 or after S10. The difference from FIG. 6 is that S5a is added after S5. In S5a, when the storage unit 12 completes the storage, a process for disconnecting from the directory server 30 is performed. Thereby, unnecessary search results are not transmitted, and the transmission time can be shortened. In addition, congestion of the network 100 (FIG. 1) is reduced.

1 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission system including a peripheral device and a directory server. The block diagram which is an example of the peripheral device which concerns on this invention. Operation explanatory diagram when sending data The block diagram of a directory server. The example of a display of a display means. An example of a flowchart. Flowchart following FIG. 6, FIG. 11 and FIG. Example entry information. The figure which shows the relationship between a search result, memory | storage data, and display data. Figure following Figure 9 The flowchart different from FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart different from FIG. 6 and FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Data transmission system 10 Peripheral device (multifunction device with data transmission function)
12 RAM (memory means of the present invention)
13a Search condition transmission program 13b Storage start determination program 13c Notification program 13d Communication end control program 18 Input device 19 Display device 30 Directory server (server of the present invention)
34c Entry information 34d Search program 100 Wired communication network

Claims (16)

Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, A search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
Storage means for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determining means for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
Storage control means for storing information on search results received by the receiving means in the storage means from the order determined by the storage start number determining means;
A peripheral device comprising: Input means for receiving input;
Request number judging means for judging whether or not the input is an input for requesting information of the second search result not stored in the storage means,
The storage start number determining means is requested at least for the search result information when it is determined that the input is an input requesting the information of the search result of the number not stored in the storage means. 2. The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is determined to store from the requested number to the number within the predetermined number from the requested number.   A notification means for notifying that there are more search results than the number stored in the storage means when the storage means cannot store all the search results transmitted from the external device. Item 3. A peripheral device according to item 1 or 2. The protocol is a protocol in which a method for specifying the number of transmissions of the search results is defined,
4. The peripheral device according to claim 1, wherein the search condition transmission unit instructs the external device to transmit the number of search results until the storage unit completes the storage. 5.   4. The peripheral device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication end control unit that ends communication with the external device when the predetermined number of search results are received. Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, A search condition transmission means for transmitting the search condition;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
Storage means for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determining means for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
Display means for displaying the search results;
Storage means for storing the search results received by the receiving means from the number determined by the storage start-number determining means for at least the number of cases that can be displayed by the display means;
And the display means displays the search result stored in the storage means. Input means for receiving input;
Request number judging means for judging whether the input is an input for requesting information of the search result of the number not displayed on the display means,
The storage start-number determining means is requested at least for the search result information when it is determined that the input is an input requesting information on the search result that is not displayed on the display means. The peripheral device according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral device is determined to store from the requested number to the number within the predetermined number from the requested number.   7. A notification unit that causes the display unit to display that there are more search results than the number of displayed items when the display unit cannot display all the search results transmitted from the external device. Or the peripheral device according to 7; The protocol is a protocol in which a method for specifying the number of transmissions of the search results is defined,
The storage means is configured with a capacity capable of storing at least one search result greater than the number of search results that can be displayed on the display means,
9. The search condition transmitting means designates the number of transmissions to the external device so as to transmit a search result that is one more than the number of search results that can be displayed on the display means. The peripheral device according to claim 1.   The peripheral device according to claim 6, further comprising a communication termination control unit that terminates communication with the external device when the predetermined number of search results are received.   When an operation for displaying the search results in a range not displayed on the display means is performed, if the search results for the range are stored in the storage means, the stored search results are stored in the storage means. The peripheral device according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral device displays the information on a display unit.   The information is entry information including a transmission destination number of data and a name of a transmission partner, and has a data transmission function of transmitting the data to a transmission partner based on the entry information transmitted from the external device. Or a peripheral device according to 11 to 11. Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, Search condition sending procedure for sending search conditions,
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A storage control procedure for storing information on search results received by the receiving unit in the storage unit from the order determined by the storage start number determining unit;
The search result storage method characterized by performing. By running on the computer,
A protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned when there are multiple search result information to an external device through a transmission unit is not required for all supported devices Search condition transmission procedure for transmitting search conditions using
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device through a receiving unit;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device in a storage unit;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A storage control procedure for storing information on search results received by the receiving unit in the storage unit from the order determined by the storage start number determining unit;
To execute the function of the computer. Using a protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned from the external device when there is a plurality of search result information is not required for all compatible devices, Search condition sending procedure for sending search conditions,
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A display procedure for displaying the search results;
A storage procedure for storing the search results received by the reception unit from the number determined by the storage start number determination unit, as many as the number that can be displayed by the display unit,
And the stored search results are displayed in the display procedure. By running on the computer,
A protocol that does not stipulate that support for the method of specifying what number of information is returned when there are multiple search result information to an external device through a transmission unit is not required for all supported devices Search condition transmission procedure for transmitting search conditions using
A receiving procedure for receiving information transmitted from the external device;
A storage procedure for storing a predetermined number of information of the search results transmitted from the external device;
A storage start number determination procedure for determining from what number the information of the search result is stored;
A display procedure for displaying the search results;
A storage procedure for storing the search results received by the reception unit from the number determined by the storage start number determination unit, as many as the number that can be displayed by the display unit,
And displaying the stored search results to cause the computer to function in the display procedure.

Images